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Now, as an introduction, I purchased this beer in a New Belgium variety pack box. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had had Fat Tire quite a few times (hard beer to avoid), so I did expect some fairly mid-grade craft beers that were exemplary of their respective styles and fairly balanced in flavor profile. With the first two out of the pack, Blue Paddle and Skinny Dip, I have to say I was underwhelmed and not impressed. But then it came time for the Ranger...

A: A fairly standard appearance of an IPA. Golden in color with hints of red and brown, a nice head and some decent carbonation activity. My pour was fairly rigorous yet did not produce a too lively head and the head faded away rather quickly.

S: Some yeast, some bread notes, but overwhelmingly hops. Nice citrus notes too, with a hint of pine and maybe a hint of pepper. A fairly aromatic and balanced beer.

T: The Ranger hits a home run with its flavor. Predominantly a hoppy IPA, it kicks hard with bitterness but has a really favorable and distinct grapefruit flavor. There's a touch of sweetness in the body as well as the flavors of light toasted malt but overly it's hops and grapefruit to the max. The aftertaste is pleasant, with a little spice and pepper but nothing too dramatic or distracting. Overall a very balanced and well bodied IPA that serves as a blueprint for the style.

M: Crisp and fresh, smooth but not silky. Nice carbonation, good twang and a nice aftertaste. Balanced.

O: Overall, if a new beer drinker came to me and ask, "What is an IPA that, to you, tastes closest to the formula of an American IPA and exemplifies that style in a way that defines it?" The answer would be New Belgium's Ranger. It is by a long way NOT the best IPA nor is it characterized by uniqueness and distinctive flavors, but it is certainly one of the most standard and balanced beers of its type. A wonderful hop balance, nice body and crisp citrus (grapefruit) notes. A solid A-.

Big thanks go to Kegatron for gifting me with this pounder can. Poured into a standard pint glass, this brew appears a perfectly clear color of pale gold with a yellowish stained cap that is more than a finger strong and is composed of rather large bubbles. As the cap fades, it leaves some patches of lacing effect on the glass.

The aroma is minorly pine-like and herbal with a grassy inclusion of hops that blends into a bit of a mineral aspect. Mild hints of citrus and some faint candy sweetness scent. This brew is all about the hops in the aroma and while it isn't bold and aromatic, it is concise, mild and enjoyable without fault.

The taste is minorly bitter with some faint herbal grassy quality that blends into herbs, a bit of pine and some mineral to citrus notes. A bit of toasty grain is present making this a nicely balanced ipa without any residual sweetness. The backend has some rindy notes of bitter peel that are a cross between grapefruit and/or orange with a hint of cheese and sulfur.

This is a light bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. It is crisp and easy drinking. Not an ipa that is groundbreaking or something to sell a kidney over but this is something fitting of the style and something I would reach for to drink effortlessly while doing yardwork. Thanks for sharing Heath!

I can’t say enough how much I love New Belgium. Although my favorite of this brewery has to go to Rampant, I must say that Ranger is the little brother of the Imperial counterpart. I find every aspect of this beer to be smooth, suave, drinkable and pleasant. Without saying more on this topic, I’ll dive right into the review of each part of the beer.

Appearance: The appearance is a light golden color that reflects the warm sunlight that grew the hops that went into this great beer. The head comes in full and thick with a vigorous pour, but soon settles down to a snow-kissed cap that paints a beautiful fine array of lacing on your glass. But be sure to pour this one instead of drinking from the bottle. The manufacturer can only do so much to ensure that you enjoy every aspect of this beer so you will miss out on some characteristics if you don’t pour it into a worthy glass.

Smell: I get an array of aromas when I take a deep smell of this great beer. I get a malty-cracker and toasty smell that very quickly subsides into a floral and herbal tone with noticeable bubblegum, tropical fruits like mango, and then some citrusy apricot. The smell is excellent and it is one that you really should try before taking a sip.

Taste: The taste is excellent. I get the medium-bodied maltiness which is perfect because then it gives way to the carbonation that explodes on your tongue and is accompanied by a pleasant cut of alcohol which is a respectable 6.5% ABV and 70 IBUs. The hops are delicate but present and the alcohol content is fine-tuned, but noticeable. If you were to change anything about this beer than it would fall apart, I think. This beer is so drinkable and I find it to be one of my favorite ‘go-to’ beers that are available. What is surprising is that after two of these, the alcohol really sneaks up on you so be vigilant while you toss back a few of these classic IPAs by New Belgium.

Feel: The feel is smooth and silky and begs you to take another gulp. The carbonation is pleasantly delayed and gives way to a nice zingy zest that comes from the carbonation playing with the citrus tones. The very last thing that I feel is a resin-like coating on the tongue that lingers every so pleasantly even after the carbonation and flavors have dissipated.

Overall: Overall this beer is great. I think that it has a complex flavor and a well-timed release of each component of its flavor and mouthfeel. Once again, the aroma and taste are excellent and the complexity of this beer compensates for the slightly low end ABV. I would pour through a few of these easily and I am confident that you will too.

Sampled February 6th, 2010A healthy pour into my New Belgium Goblet produces a three finger thick, pale tan colored head that leaves a nice lacing pattern on the sides of my glass as it slowly subsides. The beer is a rich copper hue that shows bright, almost metallic copper hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of grapefruit zest, tangelos, some kumquat, a big lychee note and a touch of pine and herbal notes. These last two only lightly accenting the nose. There is just a hint of crystal malt sweetness and toasted cracker grain character noticeable, but only just so. This is solidly hoppy, but doesn't have that over the top hop character that the most aggressive examples of the style have.

A bit too cold, which accentuates the clean, biting bitterness and a pine needle flavor there are also notes of juniper, and a medicinal sort of hop note. The ample hop fruitiness is still noticeable, but I definitely need to let this warm up just a touch. A quick stint in the microwave makes this chilled beer a bit fizzier, and a lot fruitier tasting. The beer is quite quaffable, definitely has the lightness that a good IPA should have. Even with the warming, the flavor is not as fruit-forward as the nose; notes of bergamot, tangelo and some softer lychee still play a prominent role.

This is a nice example of an IPA. For those who prefer herbal, pine and bitter notes then this is the beer for you. I think I like a bit more fruit in my hop balance though & I don't think I will be replacing my easy hop fix of Sierra Nevada Torpedo with this beer.

Currently my favorite IPA for just kicking back and having a beer solo. Great day to day beer. Just the right amount of ABV and hops to get you in a relaxed state of mind. The piney yet grapefruit citrus tones are excellent in this beer as well.

I have had mixed feelings about the last few New Belgium brews I have had lately,this is a clear winner in my book.Poured into a standard pint glas a clear medium golden with tight formed 1/2 finger white head that left shotty lace as it settled into an almost creamy mass.Nice shot of the Simcoe hops in the nose,sharp and citric, with a little herb.Flavors are well balanced at first with pine and citric hop melding well with a hefty caramel base,a big shot of sharp herbal leafiness hits in the finish.I think a very well rounded IPA with a alot of different hop components going on.

Appearance - This poured a crystalline orange in color with a nice, pure white head that came up nicely. It wasn't like that thick shaving cream kind of head but more like white caps on a choppy sea.

Smell - This has a strong but easy-going aroma led primarily by the rindy citrus hops with just a touch of pine. The grain base is just big enough to maintain respectability. Again, it is a refined and easy smell that brings out the other aspects of the bouquet.

Taste - The malt base comes on a bit more substantial at the taste and, again, shows a lot of class. It is exactly the right kind of grain and malt flavor mix that compliments this diverse hop profile. The citrus from the nose is amazingly smooth at the taste and though the pine largely drops off there is a variety of citrus flavors that gives this IPA a wonderfully clean flavor.

Mouthfeel - This is shy of medium-bodied with some strong but manageable bitterness and a light carbonation that keeps the beer lively without slowing you down too much.

Drinkability - Boy was I impressed with this beer. I do like the big hop bombs I'll admit but I can also appreciate a well-balanced and thoughtful effort such as this New Belgium sample. This is a very refined class act and a must-taste for any true IPA fan.

T: An assertive hops bitterness with a medium-strong citrus, pine and pineapple hops flavor. There is a low, clean malt sweetness giving a balance that is pretty bitter. There is a lingering bitter aftertaste and an off-dry finish.

M: Medium Bodied with a strong level of carbonation that gets almost into that Saison, fluffy territory.

O: A very good IPA with a straight forward balance and a nice blend of citrus, piney and tropical hops flavors.